Alleged money launderer Karan Talwar to contest committal to ACT Supreme Court
A man accused of amassing an illicit fortune, worth more than $10 million, is set to make a major move in court.
Canberra Star
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A man accused of amassing an illicit fortune is set to argue there is insufficient evidence for him to face trial on charges alleging he dealt with more than $10 million in proceeds of crime.
Canberra man Karan Talwar was arrested in July 2022, when the Australian Federal Police allegedly found $1.5 million in cash during raids on two ACT homes and a storage unit.
The raids were part of an international money laundering probe, which began when the AFP received a tip from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The investigation resulted in the Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce, led by the AFP, restraining more than $10 million worth of assets allegedly linked to Talwar.
These included eight ACT properties, four “high-end” vehicles, luxury goods, cash, 28 bank accounts and about $600,000 worth of cryptocurrency.
In a statement issued at the time of Talwar’s arrest, the AFP said it would allege he had “used sophisticated transactions to launder cash and cryptocurrency”.
The funds were allegedly the proceeds of scams, illegal online gambling and the sale of stolen personal identification information and other illicit goods.
Talwar, aged in his mid-30s, was initially charged with three counts of dealing with suspected proceeds of crime, and another offence of concealing or disguising the proceeds of crime.
He pleaded not guilty to those charges in September 2022.
Talwar has since been charged with another 10 money laundering offences, including nine more counts of dealing with the proceeds of crime.
One of those charges relates to amounts of more than $10 million, while three refer to sums in excess of $1 million.
The remaining five accuse Talwar of dealing with more than $100,000 in proceeds of crime.
When the case returned to the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday, there was no indication as to whether Talwar had entered pleas to the 10 most recent charges.
However, federal prosecutor Natasha Purvis told chief magistrate Lorraine Walker that Talwar would be contesting his committal to the ACT Supreme Court.
Ms Purvis said between two and three weeks of court time would be required for a contested committal hearing, which is designed to test whether there is sufficient evidence for a trial.
The prosecutor added that Talwar’s lawyers had informed her they wanted to cross-examine some police officers at the hearing, but it was not entirely clear which officers they required.
Ms Walker said she would not list the committal hearing until there was some clarity around that issue, instead setting a date in May for any application to cross-examine witnesses.
Defence lawyer Natasha Goode, who appeared as an agent for Talwar’s Sydney-based solicitors, successfully applied for the man to be excused from attending the next court date.
Ms Goode said Talwar would have “parental responsibilities” by that time, given his wife was “in hospital giving birth as we speak”.
Talwar remains on bail.
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